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Excellencies, delegates, colleagues.
My thanks to the Kyrgyz Republic for organizing this important event to accelerate action on protecting and conserving mountain ecosystems. I am also grateful for the Kyrgyz Republics global leadership on mountains and climate change, particularly through the Global Mountain Dialogue on Sustainable Development in 2025 and the Bishkek+25 Summit that will take place in October 2027.
Such leadership is sorely needed, as mountain ecosystems are facing huge challenges. Climate change, yes, but also the closely linked problems of biodiversity loss, land degradation, and pollution and waste.
The worlds high places are warming faster than lowlands, in some places up to three times as fast. We are seeing reductions in snow cover extent and duration at lower elevations, loss of glacier mass, permafrost thaw and more.
The consequences for billions of people are huge. Too little water in droughts. Too much water, in glacier lake outburst floods. Central Asia is one of the regions most at-risk from landslides and floods. And Central Asia relies on the generosity of the regions water towers, which the glaziers so generously provide. But we now know that the business-as-usual scenario will lead to the reduction of some 70 per cent of the glaziers of the region by 2100.
The 2026 UNEP Mountains in Motion Linkages report shows that peak water, where freshwater demand exceeds supply, has happened in most glacier-fed river basins. Billions of dollars in investment and energy assets of energy production are at risk, particularly hydropower.
Biodiversity and ecosystems are also under threat. And when biodiversity and water are under threat, lets face it, human security is under threat. Cold-adjusted species are facing extinction risks due to the habitats of competing species moving upslope at unprecedented rates.
So, we need to understand that biodiversity depends on climate stability. That climate security is human security. That human security is what anchors stable economic and human development, peace and prosperity.
So, excellencies, we must increase action and urgently take advantage of existing solutions.
Let me be very clear.
The most impactful solution to preserve glaciers and mountain ecosystems is to slash greenhouse gas emissions. This is why ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions and domestic climate action everywhere matters.
And action must include slashing methane emissions from the fossil fuel sector as well as from the agriculture and waste sectors. This is a region of hydrocarbon production. Therefore, it is important that National Oil Companies in this region step into the methane reduction space. Reducing methane emissions from venting, flaring and leaking is critical. Methane reduction is a fast-acting solution, given methanes high global warming potential and shorter atmospheric life.
In parallel, we also need to address adaptation through biodiversity protection and ecosystem restoration. Stabilization of steep of slopes is critical to protect communities from land slides and to optimize the absorptive capacities of moisture, snow and rain.
To do this, we need innovative public, private and blended finance. I am glad to note that the World Bank is engaged in this work. But we need more investments from all actors.
Most of all, we need the commitment, the will and the determination to protect mountain environments that are crucial to the lives and livelihoods of so many people.
To do all this, we must lean into environmental multilateralism, working in a coordinated and inclusive manner across the climate, biodiversity and land agendas.
We need every nation to implement the commitment we have made under the Rio Conventions and to engage fully in other Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and forums such as the UN Environment Assembly.
UNEP regards the Bishkek +25 Summit as a pivotal opportunity for joined-up action. UNEP is committed to supporting the Kyrgyz Republic for tangible, impactful results from the summit, capitalizing on political momentum for the Sustainable Mountain Development Agenda and elevating it within the context of the Post-2030 Agenda.
Regional cooperation will also be critical.
Mountain ecosystems and glaciers stretch across borders and provide ecosystem services such as freshwater, local climate regulation and biodiversity benefits to many downstream countries. So, the more regional cooperation and transboundary governance, the better.
UNEP is ready to lend its scientific and technical experience to regional cooperation and governance building for example, through the Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention and the Mountains Connect Initiative.
Excellencies,
Mountains are indeed among the most beautiful places on Earth. They reach for the heavens. They hold deep spiritual meaning for many. They give communities their very identity. They provide us with homes, water, food and more. But, despite their soaring heights and sprawling ranges, they are fragile. We must do everything we can to protect them.
